Most cost effective rack & panniers

any suggestions? i wont be using it everyday, maybe once a month for a weekend trip. So it only needs to carry the essentials: sleeping bag & mat, some clothes, some food, not cross country loads. Id like to spend around 100 for the racks and panniers. recommendations please

My first panniers were DIY from canvas grocery type bags linked together like saddlebags. A stuff sack on top of the rack carried bulky items like tent, clothes, sleeping bag and pad. It worked surprisingly well and I learned what to look for in a commercial set after I decided that bike touring would be a regular activity.

The ATB Nashbar Panniers are listed as $19.99 right now and using the code "APRIL20" will get you another 20% off for a total of $15.99 before shipping ($6.99) And that's for the pair! 2350 cubic inches, from Nashbar: http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product..._200277_200350

For Racks I like the Blackburn EX-1 on the back and on the front the Nashbar or Performance clones of the Blackburn Lowrider.

Tents and sleeping bags can go fairly low budget too. Eureka has some nice low end tents and Slumberjack has some decent low end sleeping bags. I would buy a nice sleeping pad though. I like Thermarest.

Between the three of us we used all this stuff on the Trans America and found it all quite adequate. Check our journal for more ideas of cheaper gear at:http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/staehling2007
See the packing lists and the "what worked and what didn't" section.

I just have to say: This is an astounding deal. I already have enough panniers for three bikes, but I'm tempted....

The Nashbar ATB Panniers are not the best, but they're serviceable. The pair I have are still going strong after 8000+ miles of touring, plus uncountable shopping trips around town, with only a few minor repairs. There are better ones on the market, but -- as long as this sale lasts -- there is no better value. Period.

(Not associated with Nashbar in any way. It's just an astounding deal.)

cost-effective... my damn chapak panniers that I hate are really not showing any signs of impending death ~20k miles down the road, so I guess they're cost-effective although like I said I really want them to wear out so I can justify replacing them. A lot of bike parts I find are like that.

Seems like a GREAT find, thanks! I don't 'need' a pair of panniers, but at this price...
the coupon doesnt seem to work though

EDIT: I used w257 to get 10% off. Also ordered a pair of gloves and a bag!

Originally Posted by staehpj1

I posted this the other day on the Adventure Cycling forums.

The ATB Nashbar Panniers are listed as $19.99 right now and using the code "APRIL20" will get you another 20% off for a total of $15.99 before shipping ($6.99) And that's for the pair! 2350 cubic inches, from Nashbar: http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product..._200277_200350

For Racks I like the Blackburn EX-1 on the back and on the front the Nashbar or Performance clones of the Blackburn Lowrider.

Tents and sleeping bags can go fairly low budget too. Eureka has some nice low end tents and Slumberjack has some decent low end sleeping bags. I would buy a nice sleeping pad though. I like Thermarest.

Between the three of us we used all this stuff on the Trans America and found it all quite adequate. Check our journal for more ideas of cheaper gear at:http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/staehling2007
See the packing lists and the "what worked and what didn't" section.

I have a pair of the Nashbar ATB panniers and a set of Ortlieb rollers. Either Nashbar is fibbing on the volume, or Ortlieb way under rates theirs, but the ATBs are roughly the size of front rollers (a bit over 1500 cu inches), and much smaller than the back rollers (roughly 2400 cubic inches).

Still, I picked up the Nashbar's on sale last year for 20.00 and they were a great value. I only used them once before my parents German shepard tore one open looking for my fig newtons,
but I have no complaints with them. The back pockets on them are kind of nice.

I have a pair of the Nashbar ATB panniers and a set of Ortlieb rollers. Either Nashbar is fibbing on the volume, or Ortlieb way under rates theirs, but the ATBs are roughly the size of front rollers (a bit over 1500 cu inches), and much smaller than the back rollers (roughly 2400 cubic inches).

I agree that they are smaller than the number makes them sound. They are MUCH smaller than the Nashbar Waterproof panniers as well. I think part of that is that with a bunch of compartments you actually fit less stuff and also I think they must count the volume with the drawstring on top not drawn. I have a set and am not crazy about them, but really like my Nashbar Waterproof ones.

My companions liked the ATB ones as a front pannier, but each only used one paired with a Nashbar Front Waterproof on the other side. They like having one pannier with pockets.

Excellent info on the ATB Panniers.
That's part of the problem of not being able to see the things in person. It's hard to judge size with interweb catalog pictures.
I currently use the Topeak MXTp (right at 1400-ish expanded) But have been wanting to shift the load lower and have more room. The NB site seems to say the combined capacity (2 panniers) on the waterproof set is 2300?

I think I'll find something else for my wife to use on her commute.
She has the Nashbar Daytrekker bags now...but needs more capacity for clothes and laptop....and something with some structure to it that is easy to get into.

I bought a pair of the ATBs at $20, and I might even still think about it at 35, though at that price you could probably just get better quality for a bit more. I am using them already for commuting, and plan on some touring in a couple weeks. Initial quality seems good, and I plan on writing a review after a bit of use. I have a couple other Nashbar products, and I find that with a bit of extra care and handling, they hold up pretty well. They are NOT waterproof, however, and that is a showstopper for most. I use plastic bag liners, so no worries for me commuting, though.

As for a rack, I also use a cheap Nashbar (think I paid $19) that has over 1200 miles of commuting on it and is still rock solid. I bought cheap as I had to bend it a bit to fit my bike, which is an MTB. When I get a true touring bike, I will upgrade.

I used the Nashbar Daytrekkers for a year, but IMO they are a bit too small even for commuting, and def too small for touring. I am going to modify them for use as front rack bags.

Thanks guys, I really appreciate the heads up on this deal. I just received a set in the mail today. I sorely wish I had bought two sets before the price went back up. For the money I beleive this was an outstanding value. I am very impressed with what you get for $20 or $34.

While I have not put them to the test yet. All the ingrediants for a decent basic pannier are present. Coated heavy codura, steel hangers bungee attachment. multi pockets, , double pull big zippers. The mediocre lower bunge attachment can easily be beefed up.

Thanks guys, I really appreciate the heads up on this deal. I just received a set in the mail today. I sorely wish I had bought two sets before the price went back up. For the money I beleive this was an outstanding value. I am very impressed with what you get for $20 or $34.

While I have not put them to the test yet. All the ingrediants for a decent basic pannier are present. Coated heavy codura, steel hangers bungee attachment. multi pockets, double stiched, double pull big zippers. The mediocre lower bunge attachment can easily be beefed up.

I got a pair of the Nashbar waterproof ones when they were on sale for about $30 and recently got their Ascent Basic Rear Rack when it was $10. Used the rack for it's first tour outing earlier this week
(pictures of trip at: http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=184410 ) but lent the panniers to a friend so I was still using my old Bike Warehouse (predecessor to Nashbar) orange ones. The rack seems very solid and secure and it has the doglegs going back far enough to prevent a loose pannier from getting into the spokes (which my previous rack lacked).

Nashbar changes their prices frequently so if there's a particular item you want it pays to keep watching for it and getting it when it's on sale.